IWC-CTI in the media

(IWC-CTI) Amplifies Advocacy Amid Policy Changes

December 18, 2024 In response to recent immigration policy shifts in Quebec, the Immigrant Workers Center (IWC-CTI) has intensified its advocacy efforts, highlighting the challenges faced by migrant workers and temporary residents. Policy Changes and Community Response On November 3, 2024, the Quebec government announced a moratorium on two permanent immigration programs: the Regular Skilled Worker Program and the Graduate Stream of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ). This suspension, effective... Read more →

Standing Up for Migrant Rights in the Face of Reduced Immigration Targets

The Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI) continues to advocate for justice and dignity for migrants amidst mounting concerns over Canada's reduced immigration targets. Recent press coverage highlights the urgent challenges faced by migrant workers as policies tighten, putting countless individuals already living and working in the country in increasingly precarious situations. Reports from CityNews, Le Devoir, and CTV News emphasize the voices of community leaders and activists, including calls for a... Read more →

Workplace Violence: A Guatemalan Worker Fights for His Status in Quebec

In January 2022, a Guatemalan temporary worker employed in a Quebec factory was physically assaulted by his employer. This incident not only exposed the abuses faced by foreign workers but also led to the worker losing his legal status due to the rigidity of closed work permits. He is now fighting to regain his status and calling for legislative reforms to protect temporary workers from such situations. Viviana Medina, a... Read more →

Quebec strengthens measures to reduce accidents among foreign workers

In response to the increase in workplace accidents involving foreign workers, the Quebec government has recently announced additional funding to improve their safety at work. This initiative aims to enhance preventive measures and provide increased support to these vulnerable workers. According to statistics, the number of foreign workers injured on the job is constantly increasing. In response, Quebec is seeking solutions to improve the working conditions of these temporary employees,... Read more →

Unacceptable Working Conditions at Amazon: Workers Sound the Alarm Before Prime Day

As Prime Day 2024 approaches, scheduled for July 16 and 17, Amazon workers in Montreal are raising the alarm about their working conditions and safety. While this massive sales event promises savings and exclusive deals for Prime members, warehouse employees feel increased pressure and growing concerns for their health and safety. According to a Global News article, workers in Montreal are worried about the heightened demands imposed by their employers... Read more →

Revision of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program: A Human Rights Priority

Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), essential for addressing labor shortages, has significant human rights shortcomings. A recent report by Le Devoir highlights the urgent need to reform this program to prioritize human rights. Working Conditions and Workers' Rights Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) often face poor working conditions, including excessive hours, low wages, and lack of healthcare access. Their precarious status makes them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, with a... Read more →

Montreal Mobilization for the regularization of non-status immigrants

On May 25, 2024, Montreal was the scene of a major mobilization in support of the regularization of non-status immigrants. The event, reported by CBC TV, brought together thousands of demonstrators from diverse backgrounds, all united by a common cause: obtaining legal status for irregular immigrants. The march highlighted the challenges and injustices faced by these people, who are often marginalized and vulnerable due to their lack of legal status.... Read more →

Canada is scaling back temporary foreign workers. Critics say the program needs an overhaul

  In a recent interview, Jill Hanley, Vice President of the Montreal-based Immigrant Workers Centre, shed light on the challenges faced by migrant workers in Canada, particularly in light of the country's evolving policies regarding temporary foreign workers. As Canada prepares to implement new rules aimed at scaling back temporary foreign workers, Hanley underscores the importance of understanding the human impact of such decisions. Hanley's work brings her face-to-face with... Read more →

Voices of the Immigrant Workers’ Centre

WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS In 2007, Montreal-based garment manufacturer Lamour prepared to shutter its Canadian production activities, gradually laying off nearly 500 of its employees to circumvent labour legislation that would force the company to pay collective layoff benefits. Over 2007 and 2008, Lamour workers and community organizers at the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC) engaged in a struggle to gain compensation for Lamour employees. In 2023, Stefan Christoff and Lauren Laframboise... Read more →

Migrants in need of help

We are fundraising for a group of migrants that were victims of labour traffick in Canada and they were unable to leave while immigration is processing their cases. This group of workers have been mobilizing and organizing themselves since July to find solutions to what the group was living in their place of work and for the abuse and mistreatment to stop. It's because of this that the grand majority... Read more →

Montrealers protest decade-long waits for migrant status

Various immigrant rights organizations request the implementation of a promised inclusive regularization program Hannah Scott-Talib — Published February 24, 2024 On Feb. 21, the Speak out: Status for All immigrant rights protest was held outside Minister of Immigration Marc Miller’s Montreal office, as part of an ongoing week of action led by various organizations. A crowd of roughly 50 people showed up, holding signs that read “regularization for all” and chanting... Read more →

Essential Work, Disposable Workers with Mostafa Henaway

*Le français suit. In collaboration with Fernwood Publishing, Solidarity across borders and the Immigrant Worker Centre (IWC), the Social Justice Centre presents a book panel on “Essential Work, Disposable Workers” by Mostafa Henaway at the SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation on Feb 7 from 6-8 pm. Mostafa Henaway is a former graduate fellow of the Social Justice Centre, a researcher, and a long-time community organizer at the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal, where he has been... Read more →

Undocumented immigrants don’t just live in Montreal, say Lower St. Lawrence organizations

Several organizations held a rally this Monday morning in front of the post office on rue Saint-Germain Ouest in Rimouski, to call for the abolition of temporary work permits and for a comprehensive regularization program, led by the Immigrant Workers Centre chapter of Bas Saint Laurent. "As part of International Migrants Day, we're flooding federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller's office with postcards signed by the people of the Lower St.... Read more →

Media Coverage Highlights Critical Report on Dollarama and Amazon Warehouses in Montreal

In an exclusive study, researchers shed light on the challenging working conditions within the Montreal warehouses of Dollarama and Amazon. This report, conducted by the Interuniversity and Interdisciplinary Research Group on Employment, Poverty, and Social Protection (GIREPS), the Center for Immigrant Workers (CTTI), and the Association of Agency Workers (ATTAP), presents a disconcerting portrayal of the labor landscape in these major retail warehouses. You can read this coverage here: Dollarama... Read more →

Broken Promises and Exploitation of Foreign Workers in Canada

A group of foreign workers in Montreal, lured under false promises, now faces an uphill battle in obtaining work permits. Initially assured of a fast-tracked process by the federal Immigration Department, only seven out of a hundred applications were approved, prompting Ottawa to rescind its offer last week. Now, these workers are left in limbo, required to navigate a complex application process with uncertain outcomes. The Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI)... Read more →

“Trudeau must keep his promise”: organizations call for regularization of undocumented migrants

Some thirty Quebec community and labor organizations mobilized in Montreal, Quebec City and Rimouski on Saturday to call for a program to regularize undocumented migrants. The 38 organizations are calling for the "immediate" implementation of an "inclusive" program to regularize undocumented migrants, as well as an end to the deportation and detention of migrants who have no immigration status. Read event reports (in French): Trudeau doit tenir sa promesse»: des... Read more →

“We Lived in Fear”

The Immigrant Worker Centre (IWC) estimates that as many as 400 workers have been caught up in the alleged scheme. Benoît Scowen, an organizer with the IWC, says the six people who came forward Wednesday are only speaking publicly because they now have legal protections from the federal government. “Everyone else is in an incredibly vulnerable position,” said Scowen, who spent months gathering testimony from the workers. “One of the... Read more →

Class-action claims foreign workers exploited by Quebec recruiter, airline caterer

An international aviation catering company and a Quebec recruitment firm allegedly lured foreign workers to Canada under false pretences and exploited them, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit. The Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal is seeking authorization to launch the suit against Laval, Que.-based placement firm Trésor and inflight catering company Newrest, along with several affiliated companies. Read the report:

Exploited workers

Hundreds of foreign workers, lured to Montreal by false promises, are allegedly being dangerously and illegally exploited in the factories of Newrest, a multinational food company. This is the allegation in a class-action petition filed in Superior Court today by the Immigrant Workers Centre. A Radio-Canada news report by Sophie Langlois.

Raising awareness among migrants about the precariousness of work in the agricultural sector

Our recent festival, on May 1 Labor Day was celebrating immigrant workers struggles organized by the IWC. The festival filled with music, songs, theatrical performances and video screenings, showcased the experiences of agricultural workers and highlighted the need for continued support and awareness. A report by Journal Métro underscores the vulnerability and precarious working conditions faced by migrant agricultural workers, emphasizing the significance of our work at IWC and the... Read more →

Akwesasne “not an isolated case”: non-status immigrants cry out

At the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC), our mission is to advocate for the rights and well-being of migrant workers, regardless of their status. A recent report by TVA Nouvelles high lights the urgent need for regularization and fair treatment of undocumented immigrants in Canada, emphasizing the importance of our work at IWC. The report shares the stories of undocumented immigrants living in precarious conditions and facing numerous challenges in their... Read more →

Women’s Day: Undocumented migrant women aspire to live without fear

A recent report by Radio-Canada International, highlights the plight of undocumented female migrant workers in Canada and the importance of regularization for their well-being. The report, published on International Women's Day, shines a light on the struggles faced by female migrant workers who lack legal status in Canada. These women often endure exploitation, abuse, and discrimination, both in the workplace and in their everyday lives. The lack of legal status... Read more →